A while ago we reported that IKEA was collaborating with the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency) to create an easy to construct and affordable refugee shelter. The result was the so-called Better Shelter unit and IKEA is now getting ready to start producing the first 10,000 units to those in need. IKEA is in a unique position to produce these shelters en masse, which is what makes this project so promising.

You may recall the Aktiv prefab by Ideabox that we mentioned a few months ago. The media picked up a thread on this modular home thinking it was an IKEA prefab but the reality is the home was built by Ideabox with a ton of IKEA products on the inside. Ideabox is running what it’s calling “Ideabox Summer in the City” with an Aktiv on display at Cascade Station in Portland (down the road from IKEA Portland). It’ll be on display through the first week in August with solar from Sunmodo and Solar World, a ductless heat pump from Fujitsu and The Heat Pump Store, and furnishings from IKEA. Aktiv is priced from $87,000 with one bedroom, one bathroom, and 745 square feet.

As mentioned a couple weeks ago, Oregon-based Ideabox created a new prefab in collaboration with IKEA Portland for the Portland Home & Garden Show going on right now, February 22-26, 2012. In case you’re not in the area, here are some photos of the fresh new home. Ideabox Aktiv features tons of IKEA products and showcases a cost-effective home that can be built with open spaces, vaulted ceilings, and clean lines.

In addition to the Minibox, Oregon-based Ideabox is readying a new prefab in collaboration with IKEA Portland for the Portland Home & Garden Show slotted for February 22-26, 2012. Called “Aktiv,” the home is a new design centered around IKEA products, such as their kitchens, lights, furniture, and other materials. The intent is a cost effective home with great open spaces, soaring vaulted ceilings, and clean modern lines.

You've probably heard about IKEA's prefab homes offered overseas called BoKlok. This isn't anything like that, but it has some interesting potential. As discovered by Michael Janzen of Tiny House Design, IKEA recently teamed up with ReadyMade to show these ReadyMade Signature Modular Dwellings at a few locations along the West Coast. The dwelling has a full kitchen, living room, and bedroom — all tightly packaged in a tiny little space.